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Bill Kristol

Resistance is not futile

If Republicans in Congress lack the nerve to stand up to President Obama, or the moxie to do so effectively, all other admirable efforts could end up being for naught. The federal nanny state could be so expanded, its tentacles could become so much more deeply embedded in the fabric of American life, that it would prove almost impossible for the next administration, however well-intentioned, to extricate us from it. The fiscal and monetary crisis could become so overwhelming that the soundest policies would be too little, too late. The American military could be so weakened, and our credibility abroad so damaged, that the most determined administration taking over four years from now would find it almost impossible to restore peace and advance freedom in a world that has spun out of control.

It may be that resistance is less edifying than reform. It’s perhaps true that resistance is less intellectually stimulating than devising remedies. It could well be the case that resistance is less inspiring than reviving a party or rebuilding a movement. And there may well be occasions where emergencies and the national interest will call us to work with the president. But the chief duty for Republicans over the next four years will be resistance.

Now all this talk of resistance may sound a bit negative, even mean. But as Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, “There is always a certain meanness in the argument of conservatism, joined with a certain superiority in its fact.”

Now all this talk of resistance may sound a bit negative, even mean. But as Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, “There is always a certain meanness in the argument of conservatism, joined with a certain superiority in its fact.”

If you have nothing to gain by not resisting, you are a fool to not resist

On the other hand, if you have principles, you would resist anyway

Wonder what got Kristol going this direction? The guy has a spine of bamboo, and has been tut tutting conservative voices for a long time

So long, he lost cerdibility on this new spine. What is it made of, Border Fencing?

They must be getting ready for the amnesty switcheroo. For that group, resistance means going against the base, to break the base.

Bill Kristol, you helped trade away this party’s credibility on a misbegotten, unpopular war. In doing so, you have surrendered any voice you have in the future of this party or this movement.

Bill Kristol, you can take your neo-Trotskyite thinking, and go straight to Hell…

JohnGalt23 on February 17, 2013 at 7:57 PM

LOL, yeah, it was the Iraq war that destroyed the party’s credibility. Not the progressive actions it took, including pushing the housing bubble, drugs for the elderly, helping to entrench the federal government in the schools, failure to help Americans gain access to our oil fields, the unpatriot act, and the shamnesty push followed by the wall street bailout. Those had nothing to do with the loss of credibility of the party, it was the Iraq war…

LOL, yeah, it was the Iraq war that destroyed the party’s credibility. Not the progressive actions it took, including pushing the housing bubble, drugs for the elderly, helping to entrench the federal government in the schools, failure to help Americans gain access to our oil fields, the unpatriot act, and the shamnesty push followed by the wall street bailout. Those had nothing to do with the loss of credibility of the party, it was the Iraq war…

astonerii on February 17, 2013 at 8:20 PM

I was on the ground, hustling GOP votes in 2006 and 2008. Nobody gave a damn about NCLB, Medicare D, or amnesty.

Everybody, however, thought GWB had screwed the pooch on Iraq, and had no problem letting their fellow Republicans know it…

The only resistance kristol is talking about is resisting defense cuts. In fact, he’s arguing FOR big government – just a different type; as per usual. Big government + Big Business + Big Wars + Big amounts of foreign welfare = Eternal Winnage!!! or someting…